New Delhi: Delhi high court on Friday questioned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the “indefinite” relaxation granted to airlines on implementing the new regulations governing pilots’ weekly rest and leave, reports Abhinav Garg.Hearing a PIL that raised the issue, a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia sought an explanation as to why the aviation regulator deferred the implementation of the new flight-duty norms soon after introducing them. “What is the rationale for withdrawal of this? And this applies to all airlines,” the bench asked the DGCA counsel. The HC issued notice, giving DGCA two weeks’ time to respond.The new regulations mandate that “no leave shall be substituted by weekly rest”. On Dec 5, 2025, DGCA eased the Flight Duty Time Limitations to allow IndiGo to deploy more pilots on duty in order to reduce disruptions. The move came after IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights nationwide in the first week of Dec after failing to prepare for the implementation of the new flight-duty norms for pilots.
